Wheat price for 2027 set at Rs4,500 per maund, Rs1,000 up but short of farmers' demand

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has set an indicative wheat price of Rs4,500 per 40kg (one maund) for the 2027 crop, Rs1,000 more than the Rs3,500 fixed last year. The Prime Minister’s Office announced it on Friday, just as farmers in Punjab and Sindh are deciding how much land to put under wheat this winter.

Why now?

Timing is the whole point. Wheat is sown from late October into December, and growers have been saying for weeks that they would not plant blind. Last month the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad asked for Rs5,000 per maund and warned that farmers might not sow wheat at all if the government kept delaying its crop policy, Dawn reported. So the new figure arrives in time, but Rs500 below what the farmers’ body wanted.

The government’s own explanation, as carried by Radio Pakistan and Dawn, is that costs have risen sharply: fuel, fertiliser and general inflation. The PMO said the price should let farmers cover their costs and earn a reasonable profit, and that it hopes more land goes to wheat next season. Pakistan had to import wheat in each of the past two years, which is an expensive way to feed a country that grows the crop.

Is Rs4,500 final?

Not quite. Most outlets describe it as an “indicative” or “illustrative” price, a signal to growers rather than a full procurement policy. Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said the prime minister would work with the provinces towards one uniform rate, and that getting wheat to market is the provinces’ job, according to The Express Tribune. Buying targets and which agencies will buy have not been announced yet.

The minister also said the federal government has set aside one million tonnes of wheat as a reserve, and he hoped market prices would come down in the next few days. “Ensuring food supplies for a population of 260 million is a challenge,” he said.

What does it mean for flour and roti?

Nobody in government has spelled that out. A higher support price helps the farmer, but it also sets a floor that millers and traders watch, so it can push flour prices up later in 2027. Whether that happens depends on how much the provinces actually buy and how big the harvest is.

Who was consulted?

The PM thanked President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N president Nawaz Sharif for their guidance, and the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh, Maryam Nawaz and Murad Ali Shah, for their input.

The next thing to watch is whether Punjab and Sindh announce matching procurement plans before sowing peaks in November, because that is what farmers will actually plant on.